Thanks for the valuable information....cats are so
elusive, I don't get much of an opportunity to study them.....
The horse that got scratched was in his barn with
an outside run....the cat would have had to climb over pipe corral, or maybe
accidentally landed in the horses stall???? The calf, was just born on the
range....
I know we have a number of active cats, because I
see a lot of deer tracks, followed by cat tracks....
So, as you said, this uncommon incident was most
likely a youngster.
<<Would a mature horse, a very calm and trusting gelding, let a
predator get up close enough to rake him?>>
He would if he didn't know what hit him. Cats are ambush hunters by
trade, the skill is in not letting the prey know they are close enough to get
them.
I would suspect if you indeed had a cat attack, that it's an adolescent
that has recently left its mothers range and needs to now establish a
territory of its own, this is common at around 18 months old. This is
the period in their life that they will take non-natural prey now and then in
the "practicing and honing their skill level" phase, since they don't have the
help of their mother for the first time. If there are plenty of deer, a
study showed that this phase lasts on average 9 months, then they
normally will go to the more challenging natural prey for the rest of
their life. Unfortunately, they are often killed and then that territory
is open and available to another young cat looking for a place to live and the
cycle is perpetuated.
Can you keep your horse in during dusk/dawn? Put up motion sensor
lights around his paddock? Get a donkey or a llama, more eyes to
protect themselves and put up some commotion? Clear back ground cover
within a 40' striking range of where your horse lives (good fire safety
too). It's all about exposing the ambushing technique to prevent an
attack.
